Track team, Castelar School

Fourteen boys wearing track uniforms stand in two rows in front of a brick school building in this 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" black and white photograph. Their coach, wearing a white shirt, dark pants, and a dark tie, stands next to them. The boys' uniforms are white with the letter C inside a circle on their shirts. Two of the boys in the front row are holding a Castelar School pennant.

On June 8, 1912, the boys in this picture competed in the first Omaha Public School track meet to be held outdoors. The event had been scheduled for June 1, but was postponed due to weather. According to the 1912 Omaha Public School Superintendent's report, 420 boys from 30 schools participated in the Spring Athletic event. There were two divisions: Division I for schools with 12 rooms and Division II for school with less than 12 rooms, with 4 classes, determined by weight, in each division. Events included broad jump, running high jump, 50 yard dash, 220 yard run, tug-of-war, and the quarter mile relay. In 1912, Omaha Public Schools held "Play festivals" in the spring and two district-wide "athletic meets" for boys, one in the fall and one in the spring. In this photograph, the name of the school is spelled with 2 LLs on the pennant. About this time, the school name was spelled Castellar in school documents and other records, even though the correct spelling and the name over the front door of the school had only one L. The spelling was corrected in the early 1920s. No explanation has been found as to the discrepancy.